Team News:

Pakistan(PAK):

Pakistan report a fully fit squad. Having just topped the tournament favourites and hosts England, there’s a good chance they will go into the game unchanged. Shoaib Malik appears to have been pushed to the fringes of the playing XI in his last World Cup, not picked for one game and then pushed to No.7 for the next. But he and Mohammad Hafeez will continue to replace Imad Wasim – the bowler.

Sri Lanka are likely to enforce one, if not two, changes. Jeevan Mendis will provide the insurance for their misfiring middle-order, which is likely to push Suranga Lakmal to the bench. If the game is shortened at the start, expect young Avishka Fernando to replace Lahiru Thirimanne.

What to Expect:

The meteorologists’ forecasts make for grim reading. There’s a 90% chance for rain, which is expected to hit all through Friday morning, putting the game in serious jeopardy. But as locals would have you know, no weatherman can claim to accurately predict Bristol weather. The pitch remained under the hover cover on the eve of the game, but Dimuth Karunaratne said it would be a welcome change from the green tops of Cardiff. West Indies scored 421 at this ground in a warm-up game against New Zealand. Pakistan themselves scored 358 in an ODI here last month and lost. On the evidence of the ball constantly thudding into the sight-screen during practice, the short straight boundaries will continue to be targeted by batsmen looking for big returns.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is the 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by England and Wales from 30 May to 14 July 2019. Total 48 One Day Internationals for 46 Days of Cricket Battle between 10 Teams.